Hardware I found an old iPad in a drawer. Any fun ideas with what to do with it?

[Derachi]

So I was doing some digging around my “old hardware” box and came upon an old iPad. Specifically it’s the 6th Generation base-model iPad from like 2018. A10 processor, Apple Pencil Gen 1 (which I’ve got as well), Lightning port for charging. It still works! I can start it up and it runs just fine. Now, I have a newer iPad that I use daily, an Air 5, so it’s not like I need it for the typical iPad-y things like… well, browsing Famiboards. But it’d be a real shame to just let this perfectly cromulent piece of tech just sit in a box.

Anyone have any ideas of fun things I can do with it? One of the first thoughts I had was, as it’s a relatively nice-quality 4:3 screen, turning it into some kind of retro games monitor/display. But if anyone’s got any other fun ideas for something I can do with it, please let me know!

 

[Catsylvania]

But it’d be a real shame to just let this perfectly cromulent piece of tech just sit in a box.

My boring suggestion is to doodle since you already have an Apple Pencil. I bought a whole Apple Pencil last year with my new iPad in part to do the same.

However, I’ll never pass up the opportunity to share a classic Simpsons clip:

 

[neil]

Donate it to someone who could never afford one

 

[Mbolibombo]

Talking about 2018 hardware like it's ancient
I had to google cromulent. I learnt something new today.

But honestly, if you cant find something to do with it, dont put it back in the box.
Sell it if you need to the money or give it away to someone in need, it's a helpful tool for many families.

 

[Derachi]

Donate it to someone who could never afford one

Sell it if you need to the money or give it away to someone in need, it's a helpful tool for many families.

Honestly this is probably what I should do. I don’t need it, but someone else probably does. Thanks for the guidance, folks!

 

[Krvavi Abadas]

i have a spare first generation model on hand, so i think pretty much anything i'd recommend would be too old for your device.

as it’s a relatively nice-quality 4:3 screen, turning it into some kind of retro games monitor/display.

this is actually surprisingly common, quite a few resellers repurpose spare iPad screens for use with retro devices like the MISTer.

 

[Brofield]

One thing I've always been interested in is those DIY projects where you can turn an iPad into a smart mirror with some hacking and a script to run an RSS feed (do people still have that in 2023?), weather apps, scrolling news ticker, etc.

Still, seems like you'll be looking at donating, so if you come across a free earlier generation iPad that still needs a connected power source to stay working, might be something worth keeping in your back pocket haha